Name Pondicherry has been changed to Puducherry yet I love to call this place Pondicherry or affectionately “Pondy” although sometimes I call it Puducherry too. My first visit to Pondicherry happened in 2010 when I visited my friend’s house near Tamil Nadu-Pondicherry border, Villupuram. That time I had a day trip to Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Matri Mandir Viewing Point and Promenade Beach. It was a very quick trip which did not satiate me. Pondicherry is a popular weekend destination. But I wanted to explore more of this place. Hence in February 2021 I had a trip to this beautiful Bay of Bengal sea-side part of India for 4 days.
How to Reach
Pondicherry is well connected with major cities of India. People from many south Indian cities like Bangalore, Chennai come here for a day trip. Roads are very smooth. We reached Pondicherry by bus from Kanchipuram and the journey was not at all tiresome. The bus stopped once for food. We were not hungry, bought tasty “onion murukku” from a shop. JIPMER (Medical Institute) is located at the entry point of Pondicherry. Bus stand is not far from it. The nuisance you face after reaching is chasing auto-drivers. They charge high compared to Ola or Uber. Unfortunately Ola and Uber drivers are forcefully denied entry near pick up point. So we walked nearly 600meters to get into our Ola cab. You can reach Pondicherry by flight – Puducherry Airport and Chennai International Airport. Nearest railway station Villupuram in Tamil Nadu (35 kms from the town).
Best Time to Visit
It rained heavily at late night for nearly 4 hours (our first night in Pondicherry). In the morning from our hotel balcony we found cars and two-wheelers were under water. Even in the noon few roads were not accessible. It was an unexpected heavy shower in Mid Feb. So whenever you visit Pondicherry avoid rainy season i.e. during July to October. April and May can be very hot months. Best time to visit Pondy is November to March.
Best Location to Stay
Best location to stay in Pondicherry is Beach Road. We stayed in Sapphire Inn which has it’s own Resto Bar Pitch Roll. Both location and service of this hotel are good. We brought our lunch and dinner from outside mostly. Sometimes we ordered for room service too. The room we stayed in was okay for couples but small when you have a kid.
Places to visit in Pondicherry
Pondicherry has been under French rule for nearly 300 years. When you visit this place today you can see French touch everywhere. After keeping bags and taking rest for an hour I stepped out from my hotel room to explore the town in the evening. After crossing few streets as per Google Map found a little beauty – Immaculate Conception Cathedral. Beach Road area becomes lively in the evening. For the next few days as I explored more and more I found a new me in “Pondy”!
- Immaculate Conception Cathedral
Immaculate Conception Cathedral was my first place to visit during my second trip to Puducherry. The Cathedral is very close to Promenade Beach on Mission Road. In the evening the complex is lighten up. In the front there is a golden statue of Christ. Puducherry was under French Government for long time. Hence I found many writings in French including the writing on marble stone beneath the Christ statue. Architecture of the building is awesome. The building is white in color alongwith golden touch. There are beautiful fixed photo frames of different parts of life of Christ on the pillars of the church inside. Chandeliers hang from the high ceiling. I liked the fixed statue of Mother Mary holding baby Christ attached on the wall. People light up candles.
2. Gandhi Statue
Gandhi statue surrounded by 8 tall granite pillars is a popular place located on Promenade Beach. At night the pillars are enlightened with changing colors and hence even from distance this place can be seen.
Visitors stroll on the Beach Road, sit near Gandhi statue which becomes very colorful at night due to lighting. You can find people selling toys
3. Douane or Customs Office and old Light House
Douane or Customs Office is now a landmark of Puducherry which can be seen near Promenade Beach and a reminder of French architecture of colonial period. It was built during first half of 19th century for the purpose of controlling entry and exit of goods through the port. Near to this building old Light House can be seen which is another frequented tourist spot in Pondicherry.
4. Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru Statue
Statue of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru is another landmark near Promenade Beach. This white tall statue was built in honor of first Prime Minister of India.
5. Sri Aurobindo Ashram
Sri Aurobindo Ashram is the place where Sri Aurobindo (once a freedom fighter turned to spiritual leader) Samadhi is located. Near to his samadhi “Mother” Mirra Alfassa Samadhi is there. Entry is free. During my first visit I purchased photo of Mother and Sri Aurobindo. This time I prayed there for long time. This place is very quite. People stand in front of Samadhi and pray in pin-drop-silence. The garden inside Sri Aurobindo Ashram is beautiful. There are book collections and spiritual writings here. Children are not allowed inside. Hence we went inside separately and left Shivam outside each time with one of us! Photography and videography are strictly prohibited inside the ashram. Mobile phones are to be kept in silent mode. Before you enter you have to leave your footwear opposite to the main gate of the ashram.
6. Arulmigu Manakula Vinayagar Devasthanam
Arulmigu Manakula Vinayagar Devasthanam or temple is the only Hindu temple in White Town dedicated to Lord Ganesha. This more than 500 years old temple is located very near to Sri Aurobindo Ashram. Entry is free. The temple is built in south Indian style. The temple is very colorful and beautiful both outside and inside. The ceiling is beautifully painted with mythological stories. Paintings are so beautiful that after taking the photo and while checking the photo on your gadget you won’t believe it is done on the ceiling. There are several flower shops near the temple. During our trip we did not see Temple Elephant. Inside the temple photography is not allowed.
7. Le Jardin Botanique or Botanical Garden of Puducherry
Le Jardin Botanique is one of the oldest Botanical Gardens in India. It was established in 1826 AD by the French settlers in Pondicherry. It is a place for rare old trees and a major attraction for the tourists. We were disappointed to find the garden closed due to heavy shower previous night. So we came back again next day. The visit was totally worth it as Shivam was exposed to the nature and he loved running on the path to the garden.
Entry ticket can be purchased just before the entry gate of the garden and it costs Rs.20/- for adult person and for children it is free. At first there is children’s play area. You can opt for Kids’ Joy Train ride. There is an Aquarium inside the garden (last point of the garden if you walk straight).
8. Bharati Park
Bharati Park is located near Raj Bhavan and close to Promenade Beach. The park is named after famous Tamil poet Subramaniyam Bharati. You can relax here for a while. There is children’s play area inside the park. You can stop at various points to take photo. Overall the park always remains on the travel list of Pondicherry.
9. The Sacred Heart Basilica
The Sacred Heart Basilica is one of the most popular tourist spots in Pondy. Architecture is breathtakingly beautiful. The church is of white color with red borders. Colorful glass windows on higher side of the wall alongwith chandeliers add to the beauty. There is a picture of The Last Supper on outer side of the alter.
Centenary Memorial Stage was inaugorated on June 19th 2009. Blessing Jesus statue on the top of stones facing outwards not be missed while you are in The Sacred Heart Basilica.
10. White Town
The place where you would stop at your every stop, majestic White Town is a must visit area in Pondicherry. All the streets start with “rue” which in French means street so if you are on “rue Suffren” means you are on Suffren Street. Some buildings are gray and white and some are pale to bright yellow. Hanging pink bougainvillea flowers in front of some of the buildings will force you to stop and take a picture with them.
It is so refreshing and strikingly beautiful that walking through White Town for hours will never feel you exhausted. I walked on the streets of White Town everyday and added “spend some days in future in one of the French buildings/villas turned to hotel/homestay” in my bucket list to know about French architecture in details. I can’t wait for that day to come!
Foyer Du Soldat is one among many French buildings in Pondy. It was once used by the retired soldiers for their refreshment. Another colorful building is French Consulate of Embassy of France locade at 2 rue de la Marine or Marine Street.
11. Chief Secretariat
Multistoried modern building of the Chief Secretariat of Government of Puducherry stands facing Bay of Bengal. Located on Beach Road of Goubert Avenue a relaxing stroll along the path feeling the sea-breeze on face will bring a smile on your face.
Being an old French colony where both Chritians and Hindus live peacefully I was surprised and loved the meditating statue of Lord Buddha near Chief Secretariat.
12. Rock Beach
This beach can be found if you walk straight left from Chief Secretariat. There are sitting arrangements. So you can relax. If you are health conscious and missing the gym, you can use the gym materials fixed near the rock structures.
13. War Memorial
War Memorial is located near Chief Secretariat at Goubert Avenue. It was built in memories of soldiers who lost their lives in World War I.
14. Serenity Beach
This beach is not very much clean but climbing the rocky patch for few beautiful photos worth it. During my visit I saw few people learning surfing.
15. Random Walking in the Evening
Walking in Pondicherry will never disappoint you. I walked and walked and walked. I loved each and every corner of this place. At night streets of Pondicherry look brighter. During my stay I walked through White Town, Promenade Beach, Commerce Building area every evening.
I wanted to get myself clicked in front of “I LOVE PONDY”. I saw it from a distance when I was in autorickshaw and the street was waterlogged due to heavy rain. Next evening I ventured on finding the spot using Google map but could not after walking for nearly 3 hours. I was little bit disappointed as Google Map took me to a different place yet I loved the fact that I saw different side of Pondy which I would have missed.
16. Matri Mandir
Auroville Visitors’ Center is open from 9am to 6pm. You can get passes for Matri Mandir Viewing Point between 9am to 4.30pm and on Sundays 9am to 1pm. Pass is free of cost. Matri Mandir Viewing Point is closed on Sunday afternoon. Last entry to car park is 5.30pm. After parking your vehicle you walk straight and follow the signboards to reach Visitors Centre of Matri Mandir for free pass. After getting pass you can spend few minutes inside a room where history of Matri Mandir is broadcast on the screen. There are sitting arrangements on the way to Matri Mandir. There are description of flowers which are related to good characteristics of human being for example Gladiolus is the symbol of receptivity and Madagascar Periwinkle is the symbol of progress. Various trees on both side of Dirt road will give you a pleasant feeing. After walking nearly 1km you reach Viewing Point. For coming back you can ride free orange color bus.
If you want to buy souvenirs after seeing Matri Mandir you can buy from Kalki Boutique. Nearby you can see nameplate of Art for Land, a fundraising art exhibition program for land.
17. Ousteri/Osudu Lake
Ousteri or Osudu Lake is the largest lake in Pondy. It is located at 10 km distance from the town. This lake was full of water when I visited. So saw no activity in water except few people sitting near the lake.
18. Paradise Beach
Paradise Beach is a private beach and you reach there by boat. We bought tickets from Chunnambar Boat House ticket counter at the entry near car parking area and it costs Rs.708/- for 2 persons including GST (taxes) for boat ride. There are good sitting arrangements. Shivam loved playing with sand. This beach is very neat and clean. While coming back saw Boat House but not sure about the service.
Read more on Paradise Beach of Pondicherry
Shopping in Pondicherry
Crafts Bazar is a market located near Promenade Beach. Here you can find all sorts of crafts – clothes, beach hats, shoes, junk jewelry, bags, kids’ play items, home decoration items, leather items, lanterns, lamps etc.
I am fond of crafts. Handicrafts showcase culture of a particular place. There are many shops selling craft items. In the evening Pondy streets look more vibrant because of the lanterns, lamps and colorful crafts stores by the roadside.
Pondicherry is home to Sri Aurobindo Ashram. So you can purchase spiritual books and other related materials from the ashram.
If you want to buy dresses at reasonable price there are plenty of temporary and permanent cloth stalls by the roadside especially on Beach Road, MG Road.
What to eat in Pondicherry
La Cafe is popular old restaurant because of it’s location. You can enjoy your coffee and a burger and appreciate the scenery. Food is not much special except for the location. Opposite to this Cafe people park their two wheelers.
Anand Bhavan is famous for sweets.
New Daily Bread Cafe Restaurant was close to our hotel and food quality was good and price was reasonable. We ordered most of our lunch from this restaurant. Prawn Masala, Prawn Biriyani, Golden Fried Prawn, Singapore Chilli Prawn of this restaurant are some of our tasted sea food in Pondy.
Popular among the tourists Suffren Cafe and Resto Bar is located opposite to Bharati Park. For drinks 1 Rue Suffren (Cafe, Resto Bar) is popular among the tourists. Chez Ellora Bar Restaurant is an easy reach place due to it’s location.
There are many food shops near Promenade Beach. You can choose to eat as per your choice from variety of food and beverage (except alcohol) options there. We opted for roasted corn and boiled spicy black chickpea.
Selling point of Ponlait Milk Parlour can be seen in many places of Puducherry. There are two selling points near Beach Road. This saved us a lot as we were travelling with one and half year old kid. You can find variety of milk products and fresh milk and other baked products here.
I found one cricket themed restaurant Sauce N’ Toss in White Town. They have pictures related to cricket on the walls, cricket match is showed on TV and they even have food on the menu “Little Master”, “Captain Cool” etc.
Being close to Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry is very much influenced by Tamil culture especially food. So when you are in any local restaurant do not be surprised if you find idly, dosa, uththappam etc. in your menu chart.
1 Comment
Manab choudhury · June 6, 2021 at 8:57 pm
Super 👌 …….. Very good information for tourists…….